On Friday, villagers from Chan Pine Ridge, Carmelita, San Jose Palmar, Guinea Grass and Progresso will lead a demonstration through Orange Walk Town. The villagers are taking the action to stand in solidarity with Progresso residents who are protesting against the introduction of water meters to the village water system.
As we reported last night, a number of villagers have resisted a decision to switch form a flat rate to a metered system effective October 1st. They've refused to sign the contract to install the meters and because of that their water has been cut. Those who oppose have put up yellow flags on their house to express what organizers of the resistance insist is a non-political protest. But like Stokely Carmichael, said everything is political.
Last night we showed you the general outline of the protest but tonight we look to the political overtones that have taken this from a local difference to a dispute played out before a national audience. Here's more gathered yesterday by our affiliates from the Northern Cable Network.
Villager #1,
"You either put the meter or get cut."
That's the ultimatum these Progresso villagers are facing. And in protest they've put up these yellow flags to show unity and solidarity against these meters. In fact even those that have the meters have put up the yellow flag to show that they don't want it, even if they are stuck with it. Why don't they want the meters? Well, they used to pay a flat fee of $10 a month and now that's going up to $12 plus a unit charge for anything over two thousand gallons.
Villager #2,
"They want their water but not the meter. They want their water but not the meter and they want it at a flat rate of $10."
And that villager has gathered a petition with 109 villagers signatures to support that position. Why? They say they just can't afford it.
Villager #1,
"They don't want the meter because they can't afford it. If they accept the meter they won't be able to pay it. Right now we pay $10 and I think with the meter we'll pay an average of $30+ which these people cannot afford because this is a poor community."
Villager #3,
"School books is very expensive right now, life has become very hard for most people and they are struggling to survive to meet their daily needs and now they are pressing meters on them and I don't think people will be able to afford it because for them to earn $12 they have to cut and load by hand one ton of sugar cane which take them about half a day."
Villager #4,
"I am a single parent, I have five kids, I don't have a job, and so how will I pay the water. I don't want a meter because I can't pay meter, meter is a killer."
But this man rejects those complaints as politicization. He supports the water board's decision as the PUP standard bearer for the area, the successor to his father seen in the poster behind him who's held the seat for more than thirty years.
Florencio Marin Jr.,
"It is a political agenda. Unfortunately these people, rather than appeal to the betterment of the people, appeal to their hopes, they're pumping on the fears."
But for these residents, the fear is real and what's more they say they were never consulted, a point of some contention.
Villager #3,
"They didn't have any consultation, they just decided to go ahead and put it in and that si how come this problem started."
Florencio Marin Jr.,
"That is completely false. Since May of this year the Water has held three public meetings as in the norm, and at the first meeting they informed that they would have to make a decision so that is false information."
Villager #1,
"There was totally no consultation with the people. As you heard over Radio Belize this morning, there was a person, an inspector for Rural Development and he said that meters would be introduced and people would not be able to have a say. This water system belong to our village, our village, and we are the ones who will say what will happen in our village."
And that's the rugged sense of self determination that's fueling this campaign of resistance, they say it's not a matter of red or blue.
Villager #3,
"We are together. This is not politics, this is not red, this is not blue, this is the villagers concern."
Florencio Marin Jr.,
"For me the matter is not a political thing, it is service to the people and I've asked the Board to explain to me what their issues are, why they are doing what they are doing. The best system to have is by metering, that's what I explained, because you pay what you consume. So you choose to consume more you pay, and if you choose to consume less you pay less."
Villager #4,
"This is not fair, they are killing the poor. They say that the water is for the poor, the water is not for the poor, its for the rich. I am a big PUP, I vote PUP and this is not a political thing. I am PUP and I am 100% with PUP but I need my water but I don't want meter."
Villager #1,
"One of the reasons why Mr. Marin is saying this is political is because he wants to split the people of Progresso. He wants to have the people of Progresso to take sides, either blue or red, but one thing I can say is thank God people can say that we should stick together and unite and fight for a good cause. But I can say people of Progresso have woken up and they are going to fight for what is good for them. So no matter what they say, this will remain a village fighting for a cause."
A village fighting for one cause under the slender protection of tiny yellow flags. It's left to be seen how long this neutral color can protect them.
Today 14 new homes were reportedly connected to the meters and also a number of homes gave up or gave in and took down their yellow flags. It's left to be seen which way the momentum will be going for Friday's event which is being bannered as a non-political protest.
